Low angle sprinkler nozzle



1956 w. v. E. THOMPSON 2,736,607

LOW ANGLE SPRINKLER NOZZLE Filed Feb. 7, 1955 V a i I72334 X2729/0 INVENTOR. WALTER VAN E. THOMPSON BY 2 2 Z Y Af/orngy United States Patent LOW ANGLE SPRINKLER NOZZLE Walter Van E. Thompson,-Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 7, 1955, Serial No. 486,499

3 Claims. (Cl. 299-120) My invention relates to sprinklers for distributing water and has for an object to provide a stationary sprinkler nozzle from which the water issues at a low angle in clearly defined drops, with a minimum of mist or fine spray which readily becomes air home and quickly evaporates or is carried off so as to be wasted.

It is an object of the invention to provide a sprinkler nozzle having means for directing the water in specific relation to surfaces which are in turn related so that the water leaves the sprinkler nozzle at a low angle and in such a manner that the issued water will cover a comparatively large area although the water is fed to the nozzle at relatively low pressure. For example, the present invention makes possible the provision of a sprinkler nozzle which, under a pressure of six pounds per square inch will distribute the water over an area comparable to that obtained by twelve pound water supply pressure in stationary sprinkler nozzles such as ordinarily employed.

The sprinkler nozzle of the present invention is relatively inexpensive due to its simple form and also effects additional economies for the reason that it makes possible the use of one-half inch I. D. pipe in sprinkler systems where three-quarter inch I. D. pipe is required.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a sprinkler nozzle having a swirl chamber communicating with a spray opening defined by a lip, there being an annular upwardly and outwardly sloping surface extending from this lip to a recessional shoulder, an important result being that water leaves this surface, where it terminates at the recessional shoulder, in the formof well defined drops and substantially without the formation of mist or fine spray.

Further objects and advantages may be brought out in the following part of the specification wherein many details have been described for competence of disclosure without intending to limit the scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:

Fig. l is an enlarged cross sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. l, but being drawn to reduced scale;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the swirl plate employed in the invention;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of a strainer;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged quarter section showing the manner of forming the outlet opening of the sprinkler nozzle.

As shown in Fig. l, the invention includes a nozzle 10 which is supported by a sprinkler body 11 having a threaded inlet 12 so that it may be screwed onto the upper end of a water pipe. The sprinkler body 11 has a cavity 13 defined by a cylindric side wall having internal threads 14. At the bottom of the recess 13 there is a transverse wall 15 having a water inlet opening 16 in its center.

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The sprinkler nozzle 10 has a nozzle body 17, a swirl plate 18 and a strainer 19. The nozzle body 17 has external threads 20 engaging the threads 14 of the body 11 so that it may be raised and lowered to change the position of the transverse portion 21 of the strainer 19 with relation to the water to the water inlet opening 16, to control the flow of water therethrough.

The nozzle body 17 has a cylindrical side wall 22 and a top wall 23 defining a downwardly faced cavity 24. Spaced downwardly from the top wall 23 there is an annular shoulder 25 on the inner face of the cylindrical wall 22 against which the periphery of the swirl plate 18 rests. The dish-shaped strainer 19 is placed so that its rim rests against the periphery of the swirl plate 18, and the nozzle body 17 is provided with a downwardly projected lip 26 adapted to be deformed inwardly against the adjacent portion of the strainer 19, to hold the same in place. The top wall 23 has therein a central nozzle opening 27 circumscribed by an annular portion of the top wall 23 referred to as a rib 28 which is defined by upper and lower generally conical surfaces 29 and 30 which converge inwardly toward the axis of the opening 27 to define a relatively sharp lip. The upper annular surface 29 has a surface of revolution formed by revolving around the axis xx a line 29' curved on a radius r of about inch, Fig. 6, which line 29' is upwardly convexed and extends from the lip 31 upwardly and outwardly, so that its outer end is tangential to a line 32 disposed at an angle A to a horizontal plane indicated by the line 33, which is normal to the axis xx of the opening 27, at an angle A2 to the axis x-x. The lower annular surface 30 is a surface of revolution ofa straight line 30 around the axis xx, the line 30 extending inwardly. and outwardly from the lip 31 at an angle a to the axis xx. At the outer margin of the upper annular surface 29 there is a recessional annular shoulder 34 followed by a conoidal surface 35 which extends upwardly and outwardly from the bottom edge of the shoulder 34 parallel to the line 32. The portions which will accomplish the objectives of the invention are as follows. With the diameter F of the opening 27 between 0.265 inch and 0.328 inch and the diameter G of the outer perimeter of the upper annular surface 29 be tween 0.416 inch and 0.479 inch, the angle A2 may be close to or within the range of 53 to 60 and the angle a may be close to or within the range of 71 to 77.

Around the lower annular surface 30 the top wall 17 has a downwardly faced annular recess or channel 36 adapted to receive streams or jets of water from the openings 37 in the swirl plate, as indicated by the arrows 38 of Figs. 1 and 5.

Openings 37 are formed adjacent the periphery of the swirl plate 18 by punching down triangular vanes 39 which are disposed in annular relation to the swirl plate so that streams of water are directed tangentially and upwardly. In Fig. 5, only a portion of the swirl plate 18 is shown, so that the flow of water in the annular channel 36 can be indicated by arrows 40. From the channel 36 a swirling water flows over the annular surface 30 as indicated by arrows 41, and, maintaining a general circular motion, the water then flows across the lip 31. Centrifugal force acting within the water as and after it leaves the lip 31 causes it to flow across the rounded upper annular surface 29'as indicated by the arrows 43, the water then leaving the surface 29 and the margin thereof defined by the shoulder 34, and, in drop form, travelling outwardly as indicated by the arrows 44 at a relatively low angle to the ground surface, for example, approximately 36.

I claim:

1. In a sprinkler: a nozzle body comprising a cylindrical side wall and a top wall having therein a central opening circumscribed by an annular rib defined by upper and lower annular surfaces of generally conoidal form which meet so as to form an inwardly faced lip, the lower of said surfaces being the surface of revolution of a straight line disposed at an angle of approximately 71 to 77 revolved around the axis of said opening and said upper surface being a surface of revolution of a line which curves upwardly and outwardly from said lip so as to be upwardly convexed, the outer end of said curved line being tangential to a line disposed at an angle of approximately 53 to 60 to said axis of said opening, there being a recessive shoulder at the outer margin of said upper surface, and the lower face of said top wall having a downwardly faced annular channel surrounding said lower surface of said rib; a swirl plate disposed in crossing relation to said cylindrical wall of said body in spaced relation to said top wall, said plate having therein openings to direct streams of water tangentially and upwardly into said annular channel, to cause the water to swirl in said channel and overflow the lower surface and said lip and then form into drops as it passes across the upper surface of said rib; and a dished strainer plate disposed across the lower end of said cylindrical wall adjacent the lower face of said swirl plate.

2, In a sprinkler: a nozzle body comprising a cylindrical side wall and a top wall having therein a central opening circumscribed by an annular rib defined by upper and lower annular surfaces of generally conoidal form which meets so as to form an inwardly faced lip, the lower of said surfaces being the surface of revolution of a straight line disposed at an angle of approximately 71 to 77 revolved around the axis of said opening and said upper surface being a surface of revolution of a line which curves upwardly and outwardly from said lip so as to be upwardly convexed, there being a recessive shoulder at the outer margin of said upper surface, and the lower face of said top wall having a downwardly faced annular channel surrounding said lower surface of said rib; and swirl water inlet means carried by said cylindrical wall in spaced relation to the lower face of said top wall, having therein openings to direct streams of water tangentially and upwardly into said annular channel, to cause the water to swirl in said channel and overflow the lower surface and said lip and then form into drops as it passes across the upper surface of said rib.

3. in a sprinkler: a nozzle body comprising a cylindrical side wall and a top wall having therein a central opening circumscribed by an annular rib defined by upper and lower annular surfaces of generally conoidal foirn which meets so as to form an inwardly faced lip, the lower of said surfaces being the surface of revolution of a straight line disposed at an angle of approximately 71 to 77 revolved around the axis of said opening and said upper surface being a surface of revolution of a line which curves upwardly and outwardly from said lip so as to be upwardly convexed, the outer end of said curved line being tangential to a line disposed at an angle of approximately 53 to 60 to said axis of said opening, there being a recessive shoulder at the outer margin of said upper surface, the upper portion of said cylindrical wall defining a swirl chamber around the lower annular surface of said rib; a swirl plate disposed in crossing relation to said cylindrical wall of said body in spaced relation to said top wall, said plate having therein openings to direct streams of water tangentially and upwardly into said swirl chamber to cause the water to swirl in said swirl chamber and overflow the lower surface and said lip and then form into drops as it passes across the upper surface of said rib; and a dished strainer plate disposed across the lower end of said cylindrical wall adjacent the lower face of said swirl plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,105,993 Munson Aug. 4, 1914 1,289,962 Thompson Dec. 31, 1918 2,065,161 Thompson Dec. 22, 1936 2,076,753 Thompson Apr. 13, 1937 2,428,748 Barz Oct. 7, 1947 2,628,876 Purchas Feb. 17, 1953 

